Taking care of business

If you drive down Myers Street in Burbank, you might not guess there’s a live radio show being broadcast out of a garage, but today’s technology makes this possible. And for the members of the Australian rock band Sunset Riot, the “Twin Talk” radio show was the first stop on their three-month American tour.

Sunset Riot’s frontman, Del Rio, said it made sense to kick off the band’s U.S. tour on “Twin Talk” because the show had promoted its music and upcoming tour for months, which helped lead to 25 bookings out of the 40 the band hopes to secure.

“Our phone hasn’t stopped ringing since we’ve been here. It worked out perfectly to launch here because “Twin Talk” has been playing our songs and it seemed really fun. It’s kind of like a ‘Wayne’s World’ thing to do,” Rio said.

Twin Talk is an online talk radio show produced by twin brothers Jose and Angel Hernandez, who say they are nothing alike and believe their banter about current events and interviews with a variety of guests will keep listeners tuned in.

“My brother and I both work in the business,” Jose Hernandez said, referring to his 17 years as a freelance director of photography and his brother’s job as a grip on sports productions. “I heard Angel on a radio show one night and I realized he — we, sound pretty good. I called him and said let’s start our own radio show,” Jose Hernandez said.

Angel Hernandez, whose long dreadlocks are in sharp contrast to his twin brother’s short, more conservative hairstyle, said he wasn’t so sure it was a good idea. But the brothers kept discussing it and the show launched last October.

“I was so anxious. I never wanted to be online and all of sudden we’re going to have this show. What am I going to talk about? I don’t even watch television, but Jose said, ‘just be yourself.’ I didn’t get it until the first show, but then it clicked,” Angel Hernandez said.

The weekly show is proudly promoted as being broadcast from “Tio Luis’s Garage” every Tuesday night and produced with less than $2,000 in studio equipment.

Jose Hernandez said their currently modest audience is growing every week and keeping in touch through Facebook, Twitter and iTunes from all over the world, including such far-flung places as Australia, Turkey, New Jersey and, yes, Burbank.

He said they have recruited their niece Crystal Jones (aka Jonesie) to talk about current events. Guests include attorney Robin Sacks, radio personality Richard Blade and former “House Hunters” host Suzanne Whang. They currently have three commercial sponsors that cover production costs, sans salaries, every week.

“I know we’ve gotten new customers for our four stores,” said Norma Solano, co-owner of The Scream Shop. “They are listening and it’s helping to promote our business.”

The twins said they may have shared the womb, but rarely share viewpoints. They do agree people are going to the Internet instead of to television for news. Their ultimate goal is to have a profitable syndicated web-based radio station with hip, relevant, cutting-edge content.

“Technology allows us to reach the whole world and keep our podcasts forever online,” Jose Hernandez said. “Sure, we’re having fun, but that’s not why we’re doing this. This is a business. We both work full-time and have families to support.”

Sunset Riot, meanwhile, will return to Los Angeles in September to play at Whisky A Go Go on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.

Info Box:

Sunset Riot Website: https://sunsetriot.com/Sunset_Riot/Home.html

Twin Talk Website: https://www.twintalkcast.com/

Twin Talk Sunset Riot Podcast: https://www.twintalkcast.com/?all=1

The Scream Shop: https://www.thescreamstore.com/